Thu., Sep. 10, 2015
6:00 PM
- 9:00 PM EDTRED Ladies Night & Launch PartyJoin us at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to officially kick off the 2015 season and become a part of the all-new RED, the Buccaneers Women’s Movement!

Rookie CB Melvin Lands on I.R.

The Buccaneers have placed rookie CB Rashaan Melvin on injured reserve after he suffered a setback to the hamstring injury that kept him out of the first five games of the regular season

Rashaan Melvin, an undrafted rookie cornerback from Northern Illinois, made a splash early in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offseason and remained impressive enough throughout training camp to earn a spot on the regular-season roster. Unfortunately, he never got an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of that labor, thanks to an uncooperative hamstring.

On Tuesday, the Buccaneers placed Melvin on injured reserve due to that hamstring ailment. It was a sudden and unwelcome reversal of fortune for the talented rookie, who seemed to be on the verge of returning from a preseason injury only to have a setback on the practice field last week. Melvin had played in all four of Tampa Bay's preseason game but was either inactive or did not play in the first five games of the regular season due to his injury.

-- CB Rashaan Melvin won a spot on the 53-man roster with a strong training camp

Melvin is the eighth player and third cornerback to land on injured reserve for the Buccaneers this season. Like third-year corner Anthony Gaitor, Melvin is finished for the 2013 season; however, cornerback Danny Gorrer got the team's one "designated for return" tag when he was put on injured reserve and can thus come back to the active roster after the eighth game.

The 6-2, 193-pound Melvin played in 41 games with 14 starts over four seasons at Northern Illinois. He was a first-team All-Mid Atlantic Conference selection as a senior in 2012 after setting a school record with 17 passes defensed. Originally a walk-on who later earned a scholarship, Melvin finished his collegiate career with 172 tackles, five interceptions and 35 passes defensed.